


Save My Love

by GinaBaker1666



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dating, Drama, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Fluff and Smut, One Night Stands, Romance, Smut, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-11-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 22:49:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3428420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinaBaker1666/pseuds/GinaBaker1666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isabelle DeLaura's life never would have been the same if the blue eyed Romanian boy never moved in across the hall from her family. Ever the curious child, she couldn't help but wander over to see who the new people were, and almost twenty years later she finds thanking her lucky stars for her best friend Sebastian. What Isabelle doesn't know is what Sebastian is harboring for her underneath his best friend facade. After a minor setback finds the two living under one roof, can they maintain their friendship, or will one night of unadulterated passion at Isabelle's sisters wedding change the course of their lives?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

"Mom, who's that?"  
Twelve year old Isabelle DeLaura peeked out from the front door of her apartment, big green eyes watching as men carried boxes and furniture up the stairs. In the apartment across the hall she could see some of the boxes scattered across the floor, and a woman moving around the hustle and bustle, muttering to a young boy in a foreign language.   
"Mom?" Isabelle called out again.   
"What is it Isa? I'm trying to make your sister lunch."  
Isabelle looked up at her mother who was wiping her hands on a dish towel, now standing at the front door with her.   
"There's new people in there."  
"Hmm," her mother hummed. "Looks like someone bought the place across the hall."  
"Can I go say hi?" Isabelle looked up at her, her green eyes pleading.   
"Sure sweetie," she smiled. "It looks like the little boy is about your age."  
Isabelle quietly moved across the hallway and knocked on the open door of the neighbors apartment.   
"Oh! Hello sweetheart!"  
The woman across the hall had stopped digging through the box in front of her to smile at Isabelle, beckoning her into the apartment.   
"Hi..." She smiled. "I'm Isabelle, I just wanted to come over and say hi..."  
"Well that's sweet," she smiled again, and Isabelle noticed she spoke with an accent. They were definitely not New Yorkers, that much she could tell. "I'm Olivia, my son and I just moved here, from Romania."  
"Romania? Wow!" Isabelle's eyes lit up, partially due to the distance of the move, and that, other than her nonna, who came off the boat from Sicily, she never knew anyone from another country.   
"Yes, and my son is around here somewhere..." Olivia trailed off, turning to glance around the empty apartment. "Sebastian! Come out here!"  
Isabelle waited for a moment or two, before a boy about her age came down the hall; he looked as shy as she felt when she walked into Olivia's apartment.   
"Sebastian, this is Isabelle, she lives across the hall."  
"Hi..." He waved, and Isabelle could hear his accent as well, yet, he was trying to conceal it.   
"Hi," Isabelle waved back. "Uhm, I just wanted to say hi, and all that."  
Sebastian watched her for a moment longer, and Isabelle felt his blue eyes graze over her again.   
"Are you an only child?" Sebastian asked suddenly. "I am..."  
"No, I'm not. I have an older brother and a very cranky little sister."   
Sebastian chuckled at her mention of her sister, and smiled brightly at her.   
"Sebastian, why don't you get to know Isabelle some more, and worry about unpacking your room later." His mother smiled at him.   
"Or, I could help you unpack if you want." Isabelle offered.   
"You'd do that?"  
"Sure, besides, we can still get to know each other." The young girl smiled.   
Sebastian grinned, and the two took off down the hall towards his new bedroom.   
"I'll let your mother know you're here, alright?" Olivia called out.   
"Oh, thank you!" Isabelle smiled, following Sebastian into the room.   
Isabelle looked around, empty walls surrounded them and boxes littered the floor.   
"You uhm, sure you don't mind helping me?" Sebastian muttered.   
"Not at all," Isabelle smiled again, and Sebastian seemed to relax under her gaze. "Besides, you'll get this place more homey in no time."  
"Thanks, Isabelle."  
"You're welcome." She grinned.   
As the two set to work on one of the boxes, Isabelle came across a handful of books with worn out spines and curled pages.   
"Alice in Wonderland!" She practically squealed, flipping the book over in her hands a few times.   
"You like Alice in Wonderland?" Sebastian perked up at the mention of his favorite book.   
"No no, I love it," Isabelle grinned. "It's just so creative and, uhm, Hatter is my favorite..."  
"Well, we're all mad here, no need to be ashamed." Sebastian chuckled, much to her relief at not judging her for loving the most unstable character in the book.   
"Seb, I think you and I are going to get along just fine." Isabelle grinned.   
"I think you're right Belle."  
"Belle, hu?"  
"Does anyone call you Belle?"  
"No, my parents call me Isa..."  
"Well, I'm going to call you belle." He smiled a cheeky smile in her direction and she felt totally and completely at ease with the blue eyed boy from Romania.


	2. Chapter One

"You know, you should take more care in leaving your office door closed..."  
Isabelle looked up from her work, a smile immediately taking charge of her face as she laid eyes on the man propped against the frame of the door.   
"Well, I typically don't have men the likes of you standing at my door." She smirked.   
"Ah, but secretly you want me standing at your door." He moved further into the office, closing the door behind him.   
"How did you know?" She quizzed, folding her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair.   
"I know you better than you know yourself, mon cherie."  
She let her head fall back, a laugh bellowing from the depths of her soul as she watched him stand on the other side of her desk, a smile on his face.   
"That's all I get," He exclaimed, mock hurt lacing his voice. "A laugh?"  
"I'm sorry," she suppressed her giggles long enough to stand and come around to the other side of the desk, now standing opposite him. "You know I can never take you seriously when you call me names in French..."  
"Or any language for that matter." He smirked.   
"Oh, Sebastian, to what do I owe the pleasure of you popping up in my office?" She grinned, now enveloping him in a warm hug that he wasted no time embracing.   
"Checking in on my best girl."  
"I bet you say that to all the women..." She chuckled, kissing his cheek softly.   
"Only the beautiful ones." He winked playfully.   
"Are you home for the wedding?" She quizzed, paying no mind to his mention of her being beautiful, as he had been doing it for years.   
"Of course," he beamed. "I wouldn't miss your sisters big day for anything!"  
"Good, now I have someone to dance with and won't have to endure the grueling game of twenty questions from my family's senior citizen population."  
He couldn't help the howl of laughter that plagued him, his eyes sparkling a brilliant blue as he took in her most recent statement.   
"They'll ask if I'm your man." He smirked, taking her hand in his and swinging their conjoined limbs back and forth.   
"Oh Sebastian, you've been my man for so long..." Isabelle grinned, allowing him to continue holding her hand. "What will you tell them!"  
"Well, naturally I'll tell them yes." He dropped his hold on her hand, moving to sit in the chair opposite hers at the desk.   
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you Stan..." She mused, taking a seat in her chair.   
"You never should my Belle." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, his blue eyes shimmering in the offset light of the office, his elbows now resting on her desk while his hands cupped his face.   
He looked on at her the way a small child would watch their mother in the kitchen, and Isabelle couldn't help but feel the shiver creep up her spine as she felt his eyes on her.   
"How long are you home?" She broke the silence.   
"A while," he smiled. "We're finished promoting the newest film, so we've got a bit of a break before they start filming the third movie."  
"Who would have thought..." She sighed over dramatically. "My best friend, the infamous Bucky Barnes!"  
"Oh hush," he waved a hand at her sounding like somewhat of a verklempt old woman with a raspy voice, and Isabelle broke out into a fit of laughter again. "You know how I feel about all the attention!"  
"Oh!" She squealed in delight as he continued his show. "You sound like my nonna!"  
"Your nonna loves me," Sebastian affirmed, quite matter of factly if she had anything to say about it. "She wants you to marry me and give her little half Romanian and half Italian great-grandkids with my blue eyes and your caramel hair."  
"Sounds like you've given this a lot of thought." She snickered from behind her coffee mug, his head shaking as he recognized it as the mug he had sent her from the set of his latest film. The Captain America shield was emblazoned on the front and the words 'on your left' were directly underneath it.   
"Well, you know how the rules work my Belle," he spoke, his mind now back in the conversation at hand. "Not married by thirty five and I'm going to put the ole ball and chain on you."  
"It's the other way around my dear." She rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest again.   
"Whatever," he waived his hand absently in the surrounding area. "Point is, you know that it's true. Why would you stick yourself with some dud when you can have me?"  
"Well, at least I know what I'm getting myself in to if I shack up with you."  
"Our parents would be delighted." He countered.   
"Oh Seb!" She squealed in sarcasm. "Take me now!"  
"You're a loon!" He laughed, watching her as she dipped herself back a bit, the back of her hand resting on her forehead.   
"Ah, but you love me in spite of it." She winked. 

Sebastian couldn't take his eyes off his best friend, regardless of how many years they had known each other, or how long they had been inseparable. He was indefinitely attracted to her in both a physical and non-physical sense. He was in love with everything about her personality, her sarcastic wit and ability to bicker with him in the lightest sense. He loved her eyes, uncharacteristically green for an Italian, but stark in comparison to her natural olive complexion and long caramel locks. Isabelle DeLaura had been the first person to befriend Sebastian at the age of twelve when his mother uprooted them from Romania and came to New York. She lived in the apartment across the hall from him, with her older brother Joe, younger sister Cora and her parents, and immediately the two became inseparable. It wasn't until they had gotten older and began to find interests in other things did his true feelings for her surface, along with his deep adoration for her.   
"Hello, earth to Mr. Romania, are you there?"  
Her voice snapped him out of his daydream, and he shook his head slightly before grinning cheekily at her.   
"Yea, totally here..."  
"You spaced." She spoke, clicking on her desktop a few times before pushing the mouse away.   
"The flight got to me..." He tried to reason.   
"Well, I'm closing up shop, it's not every day I get you to myself, so come on, let's get out of here." She smiled, standing once more before locking the drawers up and grabbing her overly large purse and hauling it over her shoulder.   
"Still with the obnoxious sized purse then?" Sebastian noted, a hint of sarcasm peeking through his words.   
"What kind of designer would I be if I didn't have an obnoxious bag with the logo on the front?" She chuckled, leading him out of the office before turning to lock the door behind them.   
"A bad one I would imagine." He laughed, following her to the elevator.   
Once inside the confines of the small space, she turned to him once more.   
"Did you drop your luggage off at home before coming here?"  
"Uh, no actually," he shifted, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. "My car is waiting outside with my bags, I made him come here first so I could see you."  
"Sebastian!" She scolded him, and he knew she was about to tell him he should have gone home to see his mother first.   
"Before you say it, mama is away on business until next week." His hands held out in front of him as a sign of self defense and pleading.   
"Oh," she visibly relaxed as the elevator stopped at the lobby. "Well then I can let it slide."  
He laughed, guiding her out before pointing in the direction of the black Lincoln town car that was waiting for them.   
"Come on, let's go back to my place and you can help me unpack." He winked.   
"Do I have maid tattooed somewhere that I don't know about?" She stopped waking, looking up from digging for her sunglasses as she stood on the sidewalk.   
"No, just best friend." He placated her with a sweet kiss on the cheek before opening the car door and gesturing for her to get in.   
"My whole life." She mumbled with a slight laugh as she put the large shades over her emerald eyes, watching with interest as his eyebrows rose at her statement just as he got in beside her.   
"Would you have it any other way?"  
"Probably not," she mused. "My life would be less thrilling had the cute little Romanian boy not moved in across the hall."  
"Hey now," Sebastian stopped for a moment to give the driver his home address before continuing. "My last interviewer called me devastatingly handsome."  
"They were half right," she smirked, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You're handsome, but there ain't nothing devastating about it."  
"You flatter me, amore."   
"I try." 

When the town car finally rolled to a stop in front of Sebastian's apartment building, the two quickly exited the vehicle. Isabelle waited on the sidewalk with the large rolling suitcase while Sebastian paid the driver, the brunette twirling his keys around her fingers in mock annoyance.   
"Don't look so thrilled, Belle." He winked, snatching the keys from her hand as he passed her.   
"How about I trade you the luggage for your keys..." She snickered, dragging his suitcase up the stairs behind her, trying not to trip over her heels.   
"What's wrong, can't handle a mans luggage?" He turned around, giving her a look that she was already prepared to bite back at.   
"Not when said man packs like a woman!" She grinned, a cheeky smile on her face and Sebastian immediately began to laugh, his hand reaching out to take the rollaway luggage from her, the other handing over his keys.   
"Come on, let's get up there."  
Belle wasted no time climbing the stairs ahead of him, stopping at his door on the third floor while he was still a flight of stairs behind her.   
"Go in," he called up. "I'm right behind you."  
"Okay!" She leaned over the railing so she could see him, and bit back a laugh.   
Shifting the keys for the one that unlocked the apartment, Belle slipped it into the lock and turned, pushing the door open. She was immediately hit with the stench of mold and mildew, and as she entered the apartment she quickly learned why.   
"Jeez! I was two flights behind you and you're just getting-" Sebastian stopped himself, his eyes going wide and his face twisting as he inhaled. "What the hell!"  
"Holy. Shit." Belle whispered.   
The walls were stained with water, ceiling to floor, and above them, a gaping hole where undoubtedly water had caused so much of a buildup that the ceiling had come in; the sheet rock now a pile on the floor in front of them.   
"There's a hole in my ceiling!" Sebastian cried, shock lacing his voice as his blue eyes darted between the hole and it's remains.   
"What the hell happened! Why didn't your landlord call you!" Isabelle was now walking around, inspecting the apartment for further damage. Two of the four living room walls were laden with water stains, and the leather of the couch had been drenched in the process. She carefully made her way into the bathroom, which, to her surprise was dry as a bone.   
"Your bathroom is completely dry!" She called out.   
"How the fuck is that possible!" He yelled from the kitchen.   
"I don't know," her voice was closer now, and he could feel her presence in the room with him. "What's it look like in here?"  
"Dry." He deadpanned.   
"Where did it come from then?"  
"My best guess is the apartment upstairs..." He trailed off, looking up and noticing there were an abundance of construction items visible through the gaping hole in his ceiling.   
"Seb..."  
"I'm gonna go talk to the landlord," he sighed, his index finger and thumb pinching the bridge of his nose. "Then I need to figure out where I'm staying."  
Belle watched him with curious eyes, as if to even wonder how he could go stay at a hotel.   
"I'm not letting you stay in a hotel Sebastian."  
"Well I can't very well stay with my mother, she's got a one bedroom..."  
"You're staying with me." She spoke firmly, arms crossed under her bust.   
"In your one bedroom?"  
"Shut up," she sighed. "We've shared a bed more times than we've probably shared with past flames, and if I have to have someone living in my apartment with me it better damn well be you."  
"You can't be serious!"  
"California King bed," she smirked. "I'm very serious."  
"You're delusional, and I'm sleeping on the pullout."  
"I don't have a pullout!" She exclaimed.   
"Ugh, Belle!"  
"Come on," she urged. "Go talk to the landlord while I pack up some more of your stuff."  
He glanced at her with a shocked expression on his face, eyes wide and mouth turned up in a smile only Sebastian could give her.   
"Go!" She ushered him out of the room.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian is officially moved in with Belle. The Avengers are coming, and there's wedding cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle and Sebastian are officially living together, and the Avengers are coming. Plus a heart to heart with Cora.

"You have way too much stuff!" Belle groaned, ripping the protective casing from a new pack of hangers before dropping it on the bed.   
"No I don't!" Sebastian laughed. "You're just sour because now you have to make room for my stuff in the closet."  
"Can you blame me? I worked very hard to get this closet organized, and now, I've got to find space for your shoes!"  
"Oh no!" He brought his hand up to his mouth, mock horror all over his face as he knit his eyebrows together and shivered. "What ever will you do!"  
"I'll tell you one thing," she raised an eyebrow. "Socks, and boxers go in a drawer."  
"Now how is that fair?" He questioned, putting another button down on a hanger and passing it to her. "Your bras are all hanging in the closet and-"  
He was cut off by her laughter, the green eyed woman bent at the waist, chuckling heartily at how exasperated he truly sounded.   
"Are you laughing at me?"  
"Y..yes!" She wheezed. "You're upset over my bras!"  
Belle continued laughing, now leaning against the doorway of the magnificent walk in closet that the pair was currently arguing over. Sebastian's shirt was still in her hand, the sleeves dragging the floor every time her body was shuddering with a laugh.   
"You hang up your bras...." He looked at her with eyebrows raised and hands on his hips. "I've been in my fair share of relationships but I've never known a woman to hang her bras!"  
"You're supposed to hang them Seb, otherwise they get wrinkles and-" she cut herself off suddenly. "Why are we even having this discussion?"  
"I don't know?"  
Belle shrugged it off, rolling her eyes as she took the handful of hangers Sebastian was currently holding out to her, and with the lone shirt from earlier, moved to hang them all in the closet. Sebastian now had a side of the closet.  
"His and hers," he grinned, moving into the space to admire all of his clothes hanging neatly on the left side. "I like it!"  
"Well considering we don't know how long your place will take, I figured I would be gracious and give you more than two drawers in the dresser."  
"Well ain't you sweet, doll!"  
Laughing, she rested her head on his shoulder, admiring her work.   
"I'm damn good."   
Chuckling, Sebastian wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her out of the closet, flicking the light off on the way out and shutting the door.   
As the pair moved into the living room, Isabelle's phone ringing from the kitchen stopped them.   
Detaching herself from Sebastian, she quickly made her way to answer the call, frowning when her sister's name flashed across the screen. Her obnoxious groan caused Sebastian to laugh from the other room.   
"Hello?"  
"Isa! Oh good you're not busy!" Cora rushed out.   
"How do you know that?" The brunette replied, steadying her breathing for fear of awakening what she liked to call 'monster bride."  
"Well you never answer when you're at work, and when you're home you don't do much so-"  
"Well I'm in the middle of unpacking with Seb, so whatever this is, just spit it out."  
"Sebastian's home? Why are you unpacking?"  
Groaning, Belle pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger, taking another deep breath before speaking.   
"Long story short, his place got flooded pretty bad while he was gone and he's staying with me for a while."  
Cora laughed on the other end of the line, causing Belle to raise an eyebrow even though the younger woman couldn't see it.   
"You two need to shack up for real already," she snickered. "Seriously, it's been going on long enough, just do it!"  
"Cora..." Belle warned. "What exactly did you call for in the first place?"  
"Right! Can you meet me Friday during your lunch to do a cake tasting?"  
"Shouldn't Greg be tasting cake with you?" Belle couldn't even hide the skepticism in her voice.   
"He can't make it, and you've got a sweet tooth so I figured..." She trailed off, hoping her big sister would get the hint.   
"You can have me for an hour on Friday and that's it," Belle chuckled. "Ive got plans after work."  
"Thank you!" She all but screeched before hanging up the phone.   
Belle sighed, dropping the phone on the table and leaning back against the counter.   
"Two more weeks..." She mumbled to herself.   
She remained still for a moment, eyes closed enjoying the quiet until she felt Sebastian's presence in front of her.   
"You alright?"   
Belle cracked one eye open, looking up at him. He was watching her, head tilted to the side, lips slightly parted, his blue eyes gazing upon her intently.   
"Hmm, yea." She nodded. "Yea I'm good."  
"What did Cora want?"  
"Oh, I have to meet her Friday and help her do a cake tasting for the wedding..."  
"Isn't that her fiancés job?" Sebastian furrowed his brows, nose scrunched up as he moved to the fridge and grabbed two beers.   
"It should be," She smiled gratefully as he handed her the open bottle of Bud-light. "But Greg is as useless as tits on a bull."  
Sebastian burst out laughing mid sip, the excess beer he had been in the middle of sipping dripping out of his mouth, down his chin and on to his navy blue T-shirt.   
"Jesus Belle, warn a guy!"  
"Sorry." She shrugged, taking a sip of her own drink, not bothering to put it down while she went to search for takeout menus.   
"Pizza, Chinese, or...oh there's a Mexican spot that delivers!"  
"Chinese and beer all the way, amore."  
"Done." She grinned, tossing him the folded up menu. "Do the honors?"  
"The usual, right? We want enough for leftovers?"  
"Oh yes," she chuckled. "I want itty bitty spare ribs for lunch tomorrow."  
Sebastian nodded knowingly, and set to ordering their usual over abundance of Chinese food. 

The pair was halfway through their third episode of friends, The One With the Holiday Armadillo, and still picking on their Chinese food when Sebastian turned to face her, half an egg roll hanging from his mouth and a smirk on his face.   
"You said you had plans Friday night?" The words were barely audible through the copious amount of food he had planned to ingest, Belle simply quirking an eyebrow at him and pointing.   
"I'm sorry, what was that?"   
He chuckled, biting off a piece of the fried food before chewing and swallowing, then proceeding to speak.   
"I said, you have plans on Friday night, right?"  
"No, where did you pull that out of?"  
"Didn't you tell Cora you were busy Friday night?"  
"So she would leave me alone and not bother me for a few hours," Belle nodded. "If she knows I'm not busy she'll have me running around doing god knows what."  
"Well, consider your Friday night officially booked then." Sebastian grinned, moving to pick at the dumplings scattered in front of them.   
"Well are you going to tell me what we're doing or shall I guess?"   
"Sass master," he chuckled. "Some of the marvel crew is going to be in town, and we're going to check out that place Tao in midtown."  
"You guys just can't get enough of each other can you." She grinned, knowing it had been a while since she had seen Chris Evans or anyone from the Marvel family for that matter.   
"Nope, plus you'll finally get to meet Anthony Mackie....and Jeremy, yea I think he's coming too."  
"Ah, Falcon and Hawkeye, my favorites!"  
"I thought I was your favorite!" He pouted, curling his legs up Indian style and dropping his hands into her lap.   
"You are my favorite," she pinched his cheek affectionately before winking. "But Bucky's bionic arm is kind of scary, and they're the good guys!"  
"Bucky used to be a good guy, he's just...confused."  
"Bucky doesn't even know who he is." She chuckled, taking a long swig of her beer. "And we could go on all night about this."  
"Are you coming or not? They need a final head count by tomorrow so Scarlet can make the reservations."  
"Ooh Scarlet's coming? Count me in for sure!"  
"You and her are a dangerous combo." Sebastian chuckled.   
Belle winked at him, turning her attention back to the TV, the pair engrossed once more by Ross and his Holiday Armadillo suit.   
"But I didn't get to jiggle my belly like a bowl full of jelly!"  
Belle burst out laughing as she always did when they watched Friends, and as Sebastian glanced over at her, he couldn't help the smile growing on his face as she smiled.   
"Thanks for putting me up, mon ami." He wrapped an arm around her, and she snuggled into him, turning her body so her legs were hanging over the edge of the couch and her torso was snug against his chest.   
"Anytime, amore...anytime." She tilted her head up and gave him a smile he would not soon forget. 

The rest of the week flew by, and before she could blink, Belle was sitting in the bakery waiting on her sister. Late, again, as always. She had already texted her once, not so politely informing Cora that she was doing her a favor and was leaving the bakery at one o'clock whether she had picked a flavor or not. It was twelve twenty when Cora made her appearance, the young woman filtering in with a large coffee from Starbucks in one hand, her other holding her phone. Cora had not a care in the world, and Belle wasn't all that thrilled.   
"Nice of you to show up." Belle smirked.   
"I texted you, twelve thirty, remember?"  
"No you didn't," Belle sighed. "I'm leaving at one whether you're done or not, I have a meeting one thirty with a buyer."  
"Okay okay!" She put her hands up in surrender. "What's your problem?"  
"My problem, Cora, is that Greg should be stepping up and doing this with you. I'm not marrying you, we're already related. He's marrying you and so far he's done as little as humanly possible to help you."  
"He has a job, Isa..."  
"You think I sit home and play barrel of monkeys all day?" The brunette cocked an eyebrow at her sister.   
Cora burst out laughing, the young blonde leaning back in her chair while her eyes danced with amusement at the image of her sister playing that childhood game.   
"Stop laughing at me you spazz," Belle chuckled. "Come on, let's taste some cake, I skipped actual lunch for this."  
"Staying fit I see." Cora raised an eyebrow. "Would it happen to be for a certain Romanian?"  
"Shut up." Belle groaned.   
The two stopped bickering for a moment while an employee placed several different kinds of cakes in front of them with two forks. Each piece of cake had a small place card in front of it, detailing the cake itself, the filling and it's frosting. Both immediately placed their forks into the red velvet, a moan of delight escaping Belle as the cake hit her tongue.   
"Divine..." She sighed, swallowing the treat.   
"I would die for a red velvet wedding cake."  
"I would die for a wedding." Belle giggled, moving to taste the chocolate cake.   
"I really think you and Seb are going to end up together, you're both just too blind to realize it."  
"You're smoking crack again," Belle deadpanned, her mouth full of cake, the fork pointed directly at her sister. "That man is my best friend."  
"Well, best friends turned lovers? It's not like it could never happen!"  
"Shut up and eat your cake," Belle chuckled. "Besides, I'm no ScarJo."  
"She is hot," Cora chuckled. "Definitely my woman crush Wednesday...Isn't she engaged?"  
"I'll be sure to mention that to her when I see her later," Belle rolled her eyes. "I'm not a starlet, I'm his best friend. We get nerdy and sassy with each other and quote Alice in Wonderland, and we've practically been friends our whole lives."  
"All the more reason to cash in on your agreement a little early!" Her sister stressed.   
"How do you know about that?" Belle tucked her fork in what appeared to be a vanilla frosted buttercream cake, immediately regretting not paying attention to it when she tasted carrot cake on her tongue. "Eww fucking no."  
She carefully spit the cake into the nearest napkin and moved to throw it in the little trash can situated on the side of the table.   
"Carrot?"   
Belle nodded, reaching for her water bottle in her purse and quickly taking a large drink.   
"Yuck," she shuddered. "Who gets carrot cake for their wedding? This isn't the south!"  
Cora chuckled, pointing between the decadent chocolate masterpiece and the red velvet that still sat on their plates, two bites missing from each.   
"I can't decide..."  
"Get both," Belle suggested. "It's what, a four tier cake?"  
"Yea..."  
"So go every other with that sucker, you're only getting married once, might as well have your cake and eat it too."  
"You're nuts."  
"But you haven't disagreed with me yet."  
"Duly noted." Cora snorted.   
As Belle began gathering her stuff, the time on her phone displaying just a little after one o'clock, Cora picked up with their conversation from earlier.   
"Back to before..."  
"Cora, please drop it?"  
The younger woman rolled her eyes, standing and grabbing her purse.   
"Fine," she nodded. "Where are you going tonight?"  
"With Seb and the rest of the marvel guys to that place Tao in midtown."  
"You're going to Tao?!" Cora exclaimed. "You bitch!"  
"I'll let you know how it ends up." Belle chuckled, bidding her sister goodbye before they split ways. Cora remained at the bakery to finalize the order, while Belle made the short walk back to her office to finish up the day. For some reason, Cora's comments about Sebastian continued to knock at her brain like an unwelcome guest; after all they had been through, they had remained best friends, and she would be damned if anything ruined that.


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seb confesses his love for Belle. Unfortunately, she isn't the one he tells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I am SO sorry for the massive delay with this update! I hope you all enjoy it! Feedback is always welcome!

Belle had been more than happy to finish up work on time. Her meeting with the potential buyer had gone over well, and they were waiting on the finances of the other side to settle before they started picking items for the new collection. To say she was both relieved and happy was putting it mildly.  
Fishing her keys from her purse, she climbed the last few steps, glad to see her front door, and even more glad to know that there was good company and alcohol in her immediate future. Pushing the key into the lock, she pushed the door open and stepped into the small foyer. She couldn't hear the TV coming from the living room, and figured Sebastian might have been out. As she rounded the corner into the living room, she found out she was way off. Sitting on her couch with his feet on the coffee table, was none other than Chris Evans. His beard had grown back in and he was nursing a beer as he listened to Sebastian tell the story of the flooding in his apartment. The sound of her heels on the wood floor alerted the two men to her presence, and they turned to face her; Chris with the biggest grin he could muster.  
"Honey! You're home!" He beamed.  
She couldn't help it, and immediately began laughing outright at him, Sebastian joining her a moment later.  
"So that's how it is then?" Chris shook his head, the corners of his eyes crinkled from his smile.  
"That's how it is, Evans..." She chuckled, dropping her purse next to the couch as she made her way into the kitchen to retrieve a beer for herself.  
"The thanks I get..."  
She could almost see him shaking his head as he mumbled, and was positive Sebastian was still laughing at him.  
Returning a moment later with a fresh beer, Belle moved to join the boys on the couch, stopping to turn the on iPod dock, before retreating to the couch.  
"This isn't a Four Seasons," she said, pushing Chris's feet off the coffee table. "Get those shoes off my table."  
"Ouch!" Seb laughed, slinging an arm around her shoulder and pulling her flush into his side as she sat between the two.  
"You had your feet up there up until you heard the keys in the door!"  
"I'm not wearing shoes dude." Seb replied, taking a sip of his drink. 

The trio was silent a moment before Chris turned to his friends, a small smirk on his face as he observed the way Belle was tucked under Sebastian's arm.  
"So..." He let the word hang in the air for a beat.  
"You tell me," Belle chuckled. "You're in my house drinking my beer with your feet on my coffee table."  
"Ouch!" Chris feigned hurt again, something Belle had learned over the years the Boston native was exceptionally good at.  
"What's on your mind Chris?" She turned to face him a little more, her back now pressed against Sebastian's chest.  
"I'm just wondering if you two are shacked up for good..."  
"For good?" She tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow at him.  
"Come on Bells, you two are going to end up married eventually. It's only a matter of time."  
"I already told her," Sebastian chuckled. "No man by 35 and she's mine..."  
"That's one way of looking at it." Chris laughed. "So you're still holding on to that little agreement?"  
"Why not?" Belle answered him with a quick swig from the bottle in her hand. "At least I know what I'm getting if I marry this loser."  
"Hey! I absolutely resent that!" Sebastian practically squawked from his spot on the couch. "Off with your head!"  
"Well I would be marrying a handsome bastard now wouldn't I..." Belle winked at him with a laugh.  
Chris laughed hard at his friends, his hand coming up to grab at his left pectoral, or as everyone else had so affectionately dubbed it; his left boob, his head tossed back against the couch cushions.  
"Well, while you two continue to be boys and do whatever it is that Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes do on their off time, I'm going to shower and get changed."  
"It's only six!" Chris' eyebrows raised, his beer halfway to his lips.  
"And?"  
"Don't even..." Sebastian put a hand out as if to diffuse the situation. "I learned a long time ago that I will never win this argument with her. Neither will you."  
"Oh come on..." Chris chuckled.  
"It's like telling Scarlett that it's too early to get ready...you will not win."  
"Admit defeat Evans," Belle smiled, standing from her spot and snatching her beer off the coffee table she began walking towards her shared bedroom before disappearing down the hallway. 

Once the click of the bedroom door could be heard, both Chris and Sebastian turned to each other. The Bostonian raised an eyebrow at his friend, blue eyes dancing with amusement.  
"And you haven't married her yet, because?"  
"Chris..."  
"Nope. Don't 'Chris' me dude," he shook his head. "That girl is your checkmate. I just don't understand why in all the time you've known each other you haven't made any move to get together."  
"You answered your own question." Sebastian sighed.  
"Hu?"  
"Think about how long we've been friends. I can't put that in jeopardy." He sighed, dropping his head into his hands, he spoke quieter as he went on. "No matter how much I love her."  
"What!" The word was practically a hiss as it passed through Chris' lips.  
"You heard me."  
"Yes I- I fucking heard you man!" He exclaimed. "Has she heard you yet?"  
Sebastian reclined back on the couch, running a hand over his face he let out a heavy sigh.  
"Belle knows that I love her."  
"Okay..." Chris sighed, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Let me rephrase. Does she know that you're in love with her?"  
Sebastian's silence spoke volumes, and Chris didn't need to ask anything else. His best friend was harboring unrequited love for the woman who had basically been by his side since the moment he stepped foot on American soil.  
"Well here's what I suggest you do-"  
Chris was cut off as Belle entered the living room, her hair was up in a towel and she was wearing a pair of shorts and one of Sebastian's tshirts.  
"Can one of you call car service for like seven thirty?" She stopped, looking over at both men.  
"Yea, no problem." Sebastian winked at her, and she rolled her eyes as she wandered into the kitchen. She reappeared moments later with a fresh beer.  
"I see how this night is going to go." Chris joked.  
"Shut your mouth," she mumbled around the bottle as she took a swig. "I had to do wedding stuff today. I'm fried."  
"Say no more." He nodded, picking up his own bottle to finish it off.  
"By the way, how did that all go?" Sebastian raised his eyebrow at her, a knowing look on his face.  
"I can't wait until she's married," Belle groaned. "I can't wait until I'm no longer her bitch."  
"All you did was taste cake though..."  
"She was half an hour late, and got mad when I had to go back to work."  
"Your sister has always been cranky." He wrinkled his face at her, a small laugh escaping her lips as she remembered back to the day she told him she had an older brother and a cranky little sister.  
"What about your brother?" Chris asked.  
"Too busy fucking his latest conquest to really care about anything other than the open bar."  
"I thought he was about to propose to that girl..." Sebastian trailed off. "Allison?"  
"He was," she snorted. "Until the thought of commitment really sank in and he ran. My family is fucked up."  
"Well don't worry amore, you've always got me." Sebastian grinned at her, standing from the couch.  
Belle missed the look that Chris has tossed in Sebastian's general direction, but the Romanian surely did not.  
"Are you two going to get ready?"  
"Yea, Belle mind if I use your bathroom?" Chris gestured to the second bathroom in the hallway, knowing she would be occupying the master bath in the bedroom.  
"Knock yourself out," she said. "Seb the showers yours if you want it. I'm going to finish up."  
"You two lovebirds go, I'll call for a car." Chris chuckled. 

An hour later, Sebastian and Chris were waiting on Belle to finish up. The car would be there to pick them up any minute, and Sebastian, ever patient with his best friend, was starting to lose it with Chris.  
"You remind me of a dog that needs to go out." He chuckled, looking over at Chris who was bouncing on his heels.  
"How is she not done!" He exclaimed.  
"I can hear you, you meatball!" Belle laughed loudly as she emerged from the hallway to join the two men in the living room.  
Chris was about to respond when Sebastian spoke up.  
"You look...wow..." He had given her the once over. "Gorgeous mon ami!"  
Giving a little twirl in her strapless black jumpsuit, her ensemble was offset by a pair of sky high hot pink stilettos and a matching hot pink clutch. Her hair fell around her shoulders in large curls and her makeup looked as if a professional had done it.  
"Stunning Belle!" Chris grinned, turning to his friend. "How does she do it!"  
"Sass. Master." She grinned, coming between the two and looping an arm through each of theirs. Sandwiched between her boys they were ready for a night on the town, just as a horn honked from outside.  
"That's our ride, so let's get this show on the road!" She looked between them, and much like Dorothy, the tin man and the scarecrow, they made their way into the city of lights.


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating this sooner! I hate using that excuse that life got in the way, but alas, it did and I'm sorry. But, here it is! Enjoy!

Belle woke the next morning in a tangled mess of sheets and limbs. Her once meticulously curled hair was currently a nest on the top of her head, the messy bun flopping to one side. Groaning, she dropped her head back down onto the pillow, not realizing that the movement would wake Sebastian who was sprawled out next to her. He groaned, mumbling something into the pillow his face was currently squished against.  
"Hrmph..."  
"What even was that Seb?" Belle rolled onto her stomach to get a better look at him.  
"Stop moving!" He growled, throwing an arm out to take hold of her.  
"Jesus, grumpy cat..."  
"I hate my friends." Sebastian mumbled, his arm still wrapped around Belle.  
"Yea well, I'm sure they're not all that fond of you at the moment either." She sighed, snuggling into his side.  
"Whose idea was it to do shots?"  
Belle opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a loud thump coming from the living room, followed by groaning.  
"Ouch, fuck!" Came the yelled whisper of one Christopher Robert Evans.  
"It was his idea." She finally got out, nudging her head towards the bedroom door.  
Seb groaned louder, attempting to bury his face further into the pillow. Belle couldn't help the short laugh that spilled past her lips as she tried her hardest to contain the bubbling laughter that was threatening to make its presence known.  
"I hope you're not laughing at me..." Seb mumbled.  
"Maybe..."  
"Isabelle..."  
"What! You're face down on the bed practically dying and Chris just fell off the couch!" She giggled harder this time.  
"You're always so mean to me when I'm hungover."  
"I'm sorry amore," she chuckled. "Do you want me to leave you alone in darkness and solitude for the rest of the day?"  
"Yes."  
"Okay," she ruffled his hair before climbing out of the bed, straightening herself out before turning to look at him. "I'll just make breakfast for me and Chris, then."  
Belle moved to leave the room, stopping when she saw Sebastian sitting up in bed, mouth open and eyes wide.  
"Need something dear?"  
"You're gonna cook for him?" He exclaimed, pointing towards the door.  
"Well since he's a guest in my house, it's only right."  
"He's the reason I feel like death Belle, and you're just gonna waltz in there and make him eggs and bacon?"  
"No," she sighed. "Not eggs and bacon."  
"Toast?" He raised an eyebrow.  
"No, no..." She looked off thoughtfully before nodding to herself. "Pancakes too."  
"Oh come on!" Sebastian groaned, flopping back against the pillows as Belle left the room, intent on checking the status of Chris. 

As she entered the living room, she found that Chris too, was face down just like his friend, and groaning something about Don Julio into the pillows.  
"Don Julio hu?" She chuckled. "I always imagined it was some leggy blondes name you moaned in your sleep."  
"The tequila did me bad, Belle..." He groaned again as he sat up. "Oh so bad..."  
"Well, your best friend is in the bedroom currently dying as well."  
"Good." Chris ran a hand over his face, scratching at his beard a bit before letting his neck fall back and the cushions catch his heavy head. "He was just as bad as I was."  
"You were both bad..." She trailed off, moving into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.  
"So bad that I can't ask for a cup of coffee and two Tylenol?"  
"Never that bad Chris." She chuckled again, opening the fridge and pulling out breakfast ingredients. "In fact, if you want, there's eggs and bacon with your name on it if you-"  
"Don't feed him!" Sebastian groaned as he stumbled into the room.  
"Oh god, drunk one and drunk two."  
"I'm not drunk." Sebastian defended himself as he sunk down into a kitchen chair, Chris joining him a moment later.  
"I'm feeding both of you; some grease will do you some good. Soak up all that Don Julio Chris was groaning about earlier."  
"Eww don't say his name." Chris gagged.  
"Just, both of you drink your coffee and take your pills, breakfast will be ready soon." She shook her head as she cracked some eggs in a bowl, not turning around to see the pained expression on both of their faces as the fork banged against the bowl as she started to scramble them. 

It was some time later that Chris was feeling well enough to grab a cab back to his hotel room, thanking Belle profusely for letting him stay over.  
"I'm beat..." Sebastian groaned.  
The pair were on the couch, Sebastian stretched out on the extended chaise lounge while Belle rested with her head in his lap while flipping through the Netflix.  
"Too much tequila will do that to you sweetheart."  
"I'm aware."  
"Awww don't be a sad sack about it," she chuckled, turning on an episode of Supernatural. "It's happened to the best of us."  
As Sebastian was about to respond, he heard Belle sigh from her spot in his lap, and glanced down to catch her gazing dreamily at the TV.  
"What's with the face?"  
"Hmm?"  
"You look like a teenage girl who just walked by her crush."  
"Oh..." Belle blushed.  
"Which one is it?" Seb gestured to the TV where both Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles were in the middle of researching some ghost, and Belle knew she had been caught.  
"Jensen Ackles, alright?" She groaned. "He's dreamy as all fuck."  
"Wow, really?"  
"Well, yeah...he's just...he's pretty, okay?"  
"Pretty!?" Sebastian burst out laughing at the idea of a man being called pretty.  
"Yes, he's pretty. In that rugged 'I'll shoot you if you fuck with me but if you're good I'll slam you up against the wall and ravage you' kind of way."  
"Forget I asked." Sebastian chuckled, shaking his head.  
As they continued the watch the episode, the blue eyed Romanian couldn't help but think of whether or not Belle found him to be, as she put it, pretty in a rugged sort of way. And just as quickly as the thought entered his mind, was as quickly as he heard his subconscious scold him. She was his best friend, but, she was Belle, and he was hopelessly in love with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Property of GinaBaker1666
> 
> © 2015 Gabrielle Magliano  
> Self Publishing  
> Gabbygates@gmail.com
> 
> ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.  
> An electronic reference link to the original posted work may be provided for purposes of promotion or assistance of publication by the readers discretion, if proper credits are given to the author in the re-post.


End file.
